The Makings Of A SeeD
By Bhamv
Chapter 1 – Prologue
Author's note: Hi everyone, this is my first ever FF8 story, and I anticipate it will be the longest story I've written to date. Hopefully it won't disappoint. Thank you for reading, and I'd appreciate any reviews or feedback you could provide.
*****
[Three years before the beginning of Final Fantasy VIII]
Vincent Nimcoti stood nervously, his golden whip held tightly in his damp right hand. Lifting his back from the wall he stood against, the SeeD candidate straightened his cadet uniform with shaking hands, his breath shallow and a sheen of cold sweat gleaming on his forehead. Brushing a lock of black hair away from his eyes irritably, he glanced again at the hallway that led to the Garden elevator, hoping to see the figure of a red-robed garden faculty, and yet at the same time dreading that sight.
Vincent was a student at Balamb Garden, the military facility that trained SeeDs, an elite mercenary force. He now waited among the nineteen other candidates for qualification as a full member of SeeD, standing in the second floor corridor and waiting for the results of the field exam he took earlier. The exam had involved freeing the nearby town of Balamb from an infestation of Bite Bugs, an activity that was tedium at its worst. Bite Bug bites were easily treated by Dr. Kadowaki, and even the cadets who had suffered from symptoms of deeper poisoning now stood with their classmates, completely cured by the doctor's wide arsenal of antidotes.
Vincent knew this was his final exam. He was now twenty years old, and would be twenty-one in just over a month. The regulations of the Garden were clear: at the age of twenty, if a cadet still did not attain SeeDship, then he or she was required to withdraw from the Garden. In fact, the Garden staff had intended to remove Vincent from the facility as soon as he turned twenty, but instructor Xu, his teacher, had requested for him to be given grace until he was no longer twenty, since his potential was so high. Headmaster Cid had agreed, and so cadet Nimcoti was allowed to stay for this one last test.
A low whoosh of the elevator and a soft rustle of robes silenced the nervous chatter in the corridor immediately, as a member of the Garden faculty, easily distinguished by his flowing red robes and round wide-brimmed headgear, walked slowly out of the lift doors. Stopping before the crowd of young students, he lifted a thin flimsy sheet of paper and spoke, his face completely hidden by the wide hat he wore. Twenty pairs of eyes stared at the page, trying to penetrate the fibers of the leaf that held the key to their futures.
"Out of the twenty candidates, the following cadets passed the exam. If I read out your name, step forward. Quistis Trepe, of squad A."
A young slender girl, tall and willowy with blonde hair tied in a neat bun, stepped out of the crowd. Like Vincent, she held a whip, although her whip was thinner and nearly twice as long, more suited for long-range attacks and precision strikes. Vincent's, in contrast, was designed for his strong masculine frame, the weapon able to strike forceful blows at closer range. Quistis walked slowly, with dignity, up to the faculty member, standing behind him and waiting for the other successful candidates. Vincent noted she was young, no more than fifteen years old, although her confident bearing suggested a woman of much older age. Her pretty face was expressionless, but her eyes gleamed with excitement and relief.
"Eriko Kaneko, of squad A."
A second girl, who held a long metal staff, stepped forward hurriedly, giving a small gasp of joy and relief. She joined Quistis, her fellow squad mate, behind the Garden staff member, the two girls grasping hands for a brief moment in silent mutual congratulation. Eriko was a petite girl, with long agile fingers that now twitched on her weapon, expressing their owner's excitement. Vincent looked around him; among twenty cadets, there would be three who pass, maybe four at most. He knew the common pass rate from all the previous exams he had failed. The rate of success was not high, as the Garden only selected the best of the best.
"Julian Price, of squad B."
No surprises there, Vincent thought to himself. Julian had always excelled in everything he did at the Garden, and should have become a SeeD months ago. His double scimitars were now sheathed on either side of his hips, the weapons which had danced with deadly precision earlier now swaying gently as their wielder strode confidently up to the two girls, a wide grin on his handsome face. The Garden faculty member was still staring at his list, he wasn't done yet, Vincent realized. His stomach wound tightly in a knot, his entire body trembling, Vincent silently willed the next word out of the hooded mouth to be his name.
"Patik Starr, of squad C."
The faculty member folded the sheet of paper in half and slipped it into a hidden pocket on his robe, glancing at the final successful cadet. Patik nearly tripped over his own feet as he hurried forward, catching his battle hammer before it could fall out of his hands onto the floor. He was a tall boy, his thin arms and legs hiding the strength that lay in his body, as he was one of the few cadets at Balamb Garden who could wield the heavy battle hammer effectively. The four new SeeDs followed the faculty member as he led the way to the elevator, which would carry them up to headmaster Cid's office, up to a new destiny, a new life. The remaining candidates looked around at each other, shrugged away their disappointment as best they could, and slowly scattered away from the corridor, alone or in groups. They knew there would be other chances, other exams.
Except for Vincent. Long after every other candidate had left, he still stood in the corridor, unmoving like a statue. Silently he stared at the spot where the Garden faculty member had stood, waiting for him to return, to announce a mistake had been made, and Vincent Nimcoti had passed the exam as well. That Vincent Nimcoti was a SeeD. Some passers-by glanced at him every now and then, wondering just why he stood there, but one glance at the desperation in his eyes discouraged anyone from asking. He did nothing, for hours, but stood.
*****
Two knocks on the dormitory door was swiftly followed by the sound of Vincent's roommate, Arron, sliding the door open. He stared up at his ceiling, not looking up from his bed, not particularly caring who was visiting.
"Instructor Xu."
"Hello Arron, is Vincent here?"
"Yeah, he's in his room. Err, Vincent? Your instructor's here."
She's not my instructor, Vincent thought to himself, not any more. I'm not a part of this Garden any more. It was tempting to simply ignore her, to continue lying in bed and staring at the blank ceiling, but he gave a sigh and heaved himself vertical. Glancing through the frame of the doorway that led to the communal area he shared with Arron, he saw the pretty female instructor standing there with an impenetrable look in her eyes.
"Instructor." Vincent said, as he walked out of his room.
"Sit down, Vincent." Said Xu, gesturing at the table and chairs where Vincent and Arron sometimes had meals. "Arron, if you could give us a moment?"
"Oh, what? Oh sure, yeah, I'll go get a snack from the cafeteria." Arron said, and hurried out the dormitory, slamming the door behind him. Vincent and Xu sat across from each other, one staring at the tabletop, the other looking at her student, in silence.
Xu finally spoke first. "It was very close, you know. You only barely failed to become a SeeD."
"But I still failed." Vincent said, his voice flat and without emotion.
"Well, yes, unfortunately so. But the Garden staff felt this was for the best. You've tried incredibly hard during your years with us, and the last few exams you've failed were extremely close." Xu said, her voice gentle and compassionate. "But ultimately, we felt the life of a SeeD wasn't really for you. It's time you found a different life, Vincent, one more suited to you."
Vincent nodded glumly, but said nothing. In his heart he knew that Xu was probably right, that he probably didn't have what it took to be a SeeD. But in his heart he also knew he didn't care – he had wanted to be a SeeD more than anything in the world.
"What will you be doing now?" Xu asked, in the same gentle voice.
Vincent waved one hand idly behind him, pointing into his room. The decorations and personal articles had already been stripped away from the walls of the chamber, the desk now completely bare and empty. Two large suitcases sat next to the desk, and a black carrying case containing his whip lay atop them. "I'll be heading back to Fisherman's Horizon tomorrow morning. Tonight's my last night here in Garden."
"Ah yes, you're from FH, aren't you? It must be nice to be going back home." Xu said with a smile. But Vincent shook his head.
"Balamb Garden's my home, instructor. It has been for the last eight years." Vincent said, gazing earnestly into the young woman's eyes, who nodded understandingly.
"Have you returned your Guardian Forces?" Xu asked. "Without supervision and care, using GFs outside the Garden can be dangerous…"
Vincent cut her off, a trace of impatience and irritation in his voice. "Yes, I've returned them to my terminal in the classroom." Inside he seethed at the implication that he could not control a GF on his own, when he had proven many times that he was more than a match for any rowdy GF. Xu sat silently and patiently, not at all upset at her student's brusque manner.
"I wish I knew what to say to make this easier for you, Vincent. You've been one of our best students, and certainly for me you've been a joy to teach." Xu stood up, preparing to leave. "You did your best, Vincent. No one could ask more of you than that." With that, Xu slid the door of the dormitory open and left.
Except you did, Vincent thought to himself. You asked me for more than my best, and I failed. His hands gripped into tight fists as the frustration and anger he had bottled up inside himself began to seep out. Gritting his teeth tightly, the young man made a silent vow.
I will not be a SeeD, but I will become more than a SeeD. I will do more than any SeeD will ever do, and I will show you just what happens when I do my best… my best.
*****
Thanks for reading this far! This is just the prologue, there will be more soon, hopefully! Oh, and please let me know what you guys think, ok? –Bhamv